He hated it when things interfered with his running. Seriously. He grumbled a few curses as he struggled to regain his balance which was proving to be difficult to grasp. He made it behind a cluster of trees only to discover an odd bag. Now probably wasn't a great time for treasure hunting, but if he was already there, he certainly wasn't going to pass up the opportunity. Bending over, he snatched the bag up and peered inside to get a glimpse of the contents.

"Yoo steel Galckik treasures!" The giant troll seemed even more angered by Vance's actions, stomping his foot on the group repeatedly in his rage. The troll ran forward, waving its giant wooden club in the air above his head. It was still much to far away to catch up with the speedy ninja, but the troll only gnashed its sharpened teeth and gums. It didn't seem tired, even after all of that movement and chasing. This would be quite the long chase for Fu and Vance, that was for sure.

"It doesn't seem to like us picking up these bags," Fu muttered to himself, watching the troll and searching the fields for any other small bags. He noticed on close to where he stood, if he dashed over there, he could go and fetch it. But that was also the direction of the troll, it wouldn't be wise to get closer to the beast that was trying to eat him. Looking further down, Fu could just barely see another bag, and began heading towards it. Fu hoped Vance noticed the troll's behavior and start going after other bags as well.

As Vance tucked away the aromatic coconut milk, he noticed that the monster was yelling at him and stomping the ground with his foot causing a slight bead of sweat to form upon his brow. "It was kinda just lying here. If you don't people to take them, you should probably hide them somewhere," Vance advised, waving to the creature smartly as he watched it approach. At least that'll get some of the pressure off of Fu for a bit, but now, I'm a bit stuck, he thought, glancing at the tree directly ahead of him. It was incredibly flimsy. "Ninja Art: Throw Stuff at Tree Until It Dies!" With that, Vance hurled quite a few senbon at the tree at rapid speeds and focusing on a single point to crack the thing in half. Once weak enough, Vance hurled his sword at it causing it to snap in two.

Yanking on a translucent thread he had removed from his pouch of goodies and attached to the sword, he caught his bladed weapon and dashed over the wrecked tree, salvaging some senbon as he went.

"Stop running away yoo!" The Galckik seemed to be even more enraged at Vance's continued escaping. It slammed his foot on the ground a few more times, causing the earth to shake under its tremendous weight. The dusty earth began to rise around the large troll, and the beast charged forward, flattening a tree in its way with ease until it shot past Vance and slid across the sand, attempting to stop in front of him, but instead travelling a few more feet forward.

Fu nearly jumped in surprise when he saw something large and ugly rush past his peripheral vision and towards where Vance was. Not hesitating for another moment, Fu rushed forward and snatched up another bag that was laying about, attempting to catch the troll's attention with it by making his grab as obvious as possible, even going so far as purposefully tripping over a root and grunting to make noise to attract the troll. Fu didn't look in the bag for long, he merely grabbed whatever was in it and stuffed it into a bag.

The thing was blocking his path. Just when he thought he was clever, the beast charged forwards in a mad dash. In response, Vance just shrugged his shoulders and sighed, dashing off in opposite direction along the periphery of the area. "Like I'm really going to stop running away because you said so. Genius. It was worth a try though, right?" the ninja called out to the monster as he drew farther and farther away with ease, glancing over at Fu to see that he was picking up one of the bags. Maybe the thing won't notice? he thought optimistically before realizing what he was dealing with.

"RAAAARGH!" The mini troll rages, and in it's fury it barreled towards where Fu was, smashing right through a large rock and breaking it into pieces. The Galckik skidded to a stop on the sand, where it fell clumsily on its face. Enraged, the mini troll forced itself off of the ground and glared down at Fu, who attempted to swallow the lump in his throat, with no success.

Galckik uses Stampede! The Galckik ends at A-9.

"NO MORE STEAL GALCKIK TREASURES FILFY HOOMANS!" it roared, waving it's club in the air. Before the giant could do anything else, a dark figure jumped up onto the troll's head and with a single, deft movement sliced off its head. Just like that.

The Galckik's ugly head bounced on the ground and rolled to Fu's feet, sitting there, snarling and disgusting.

The Galckik has given up the chase...kind of.

OBJECTIVE COMPLETED!

Experience Table:

Fu is picking up stuff.+1

You survived! Congratulations! Would you like a cookie? No? Well, have some experience instead.+5

No damage was dealt to the Galckik by the party, but Vance did kill a tree...jerk. You better plant an acorn or something later. I went through a lot of trouble planting those trees, and what do you do? You kill them. Way to go, champ. I should take away experience for that. But no. I won't. I'll be the better man here, and I'll GIVE you experience for killing a tree. Maybe it's taught you a lesson. Not to kill trees. I certainly hope so. You got off lucky here buddy, next time I'm putting some explosives in the trees. And maybe I'll make it rain fire. And no, this is not a reference to the Twilight Forest. Which, by the way, is open for exploration...if you can make it back to Mingle City, that is. But I think you should consider the Twilight Forest as if it were...that place in Zelda games where you could go and win treasures and stuff. Like...each level gets harder and harder, and you'll need better equipment and stuff. I forget what those are called, so I'll just call it a Dungeon Crawler. Anyway, here's the experience that I gave ya.+1

Fu and Vance interacted with the environment.+1 each.

Totals so far:

Fu: +7 EXPVance: +9 EXP

Fu: Level 2Progress: 26/50---33/50

Vance: Level 2Progress: 26/50---35/50

~THE LOOT~

+ Galckik Head (x1) Obtained! Yes, this has a use. Troll skulls are incredibly sturdy, believe it or not. It's harder than steel and lighter than copper. Pretty damn good if you ask me.

+ 20 Shards

~Update your profiles por favor~

Fu looked down at the troll's head, which had rolled its way over to his feet, with utter disgust. He was glad that the fighting was over, but this was a bit too much for him. Fu looked up to where he last saw their savior. What he saw was not what he had expected. It was a very short, very thin creature. Its blue skin was covered in a slippery film, making it look aquatic. On both sides of its neck were three slits, obviously gills, and it had large, black eyes, no pupil or iris.

"Um..." Fu started, looking down at the creature.

"What do you think you are doing!?" The strange creature suddenly shouted in a gurgled voice. The creatures' outburst shocked Fu, and he couldn't quite reply. "Humans agreed never to come down here, or else they are left for the Galckik! But now you come along, two clicks away from Zweisun territory with a Galckik troll rampaging through the area!" The creature, the Zweisun, looked extremely frustrated, and had pulled out a blade from its shoulder. Fu noticed that the Zweisun's fingers were webbed, but he also noticed the strange, jagged shape of the creature's blade.

"My sincerest apologies," Fu offered, only to be scoffed at by the strange creature that called itself an Zweisun.

"Your apologies won't save my scales from being shredded off by the Galckik for killing one of them! Neither mine or my family's! You'll have to pay for your crimes!"

Vance threw down a smoke bomb and reappeared next to Fu, an angry glare set upon his face with his hand held out, palm open. "Woah, woah, woah. ENOUGH!!" he shouted at the creature that had saved them, yet wanted retribution for their apparent misdoings which weren't even their fault in the first place. "I'm getting sick and tired of being blamed for shit that's NOT OUR FAULT. You wanna know what's going on? Let me tell you." Vance's voice was so tense and his heart was pounding erractically. He couldn't remember the last time he was this pissed off. It took a lot to rile the typically cheerful ninja up like he was, but it wasn't impossible.

"Me and my friend Nanaro come to this continent to explore its splendor, get aided by my pal Fu here and his friend Marigold, climb up a mountain, get attacked by a dragon, kill some ice elementals that were created by a douchebag puppeteer, fight said puppeteer, TRY AND SPARE HIS LIFE, get yelled at by some overreacting drama queen talking polar bears, get knocked off the mountain, land hear, get chased by some ugly ass dumb shit troll, and now we're getting chastised by some aquatic thing...what was it? Zweisun?" He took a deep breath, for he had forgotten to breathe throughout his enraged rant of a story of his coming to Krephu. With the breath, he seemed to calm down a bit. "Listen, I thank you for saving us. I really do. But we are NOT paying for something that was out of our control. Fate has it out for us apparently."

The Zweisun's fishy eyes narrowed. Three clicks sounded from his throat. Three very annoyed clicks. Fu suddenly sensed that they had been surrounded by creatures who had a similar presence to the fish-man that was in front of them. Not a good sign. Another click from the Zweisun attracted Fu's attention.

"What are you doing?" Fu asked warily, but he didn't get his answer from the Zweisun. Instead, he felt a sharp pain in the back of his neck. The next moment, Fu fell on his face, unconscious. Vance soon followed. It seemed that these creatures didn't like Vance's attitude.

~

Marigold sat in the center of an ice ring. But it was not an ordinary ring. It was made out of ice, for sure, but within the ice were trapped several fish-men, known as Zweisun. They had attacked her and Nanaro while they were vulnerable, but Marigold's magic had saved them in the nick of time. Marigold made sure that Nanaro was still close to her. If something happened to the child, Marigold would never forgive herself, even after taking revenge against the entire race of that which had attacked her.

No creature stood a chance against Marigold in this state.

"Nanaro," Marigold looked back at the child, "more of those Zweisun are coming. Are you ready?"

Nanaro wasn't sure whether or not to be surprised that they were attacked. It seemed to be a commonality of this place, though the predicaments they were put through were certainly extraordinary. Nanaro arose and produced her bell. She was feeling much better than she had when she had first awoke from unconsciousness right after the fall off the mountain. Though not at the height of her power, she could certainly move around and fight. Besides, she had a goal in mind, and she was sure Marigold had a similar one: finding Vance and Fu. They may have survived the fall, for she wasn't going to believe them to be dead regardless, but nothing stopped them from running into trouble like her and Marigold had, and judging by Marigold's words, more trouble was to come.

"I'm ready," she spoke confidently, her voice laced with a subtle irritation. "If more deign to assault us, my bell will toll for their demise." Her grip on the handle of the small instrument tightened as her body tensed. Fish-men. Zweisun. First impressions proved they certainly weren't very civil, at least to people just wandering around. Once again, she found herself lucky to have Marigold by her side. She wasn't about to linger on what might have happened. Hypothetical circumstances were merely that: hypothetical.

"Staying in one spot won't help for sure. We should probably try and get away from here. Maybe we'll run into Vance and/or Fu while we're on the run," the girl proposed. Now that they were at least decently rested, they needed to start their search, even if it meant blowing up a wall of Zweisun first.

"You're right, little Nanaro, we should get moving," Marigold accepted, straightening her back a little more. She needed to be strong for the child. No weaknesses, always there for her, like a loving mother. Marigold offered her hand for Nanaro to take hold of, a light smile on her icy blue lips. If she could produce wamth, Marigold was sure it would leak through her fingers just for Nanaro.

Marigold led Nanaro past the ice sculptures of the Zweisun, careful not to let her slip and fall. On the bright green grass, there wasn't much cause for worry, though Marigold's very presence put a layer of frost over the blades she walked over. It was a strange experience for her, for she had never once been in the tropical regions of Krephu. She heard stories of their existence, but never paid them much mind. Now she wished she knew more.

The two didn't get very far before they came across two more Zweisun. These looked like the warriors of the tribes, while the others just curious onlookers, as they carried swords with them and their scales looked incredibly thick and durable. Twisted snarls appeared on their faces as they looked at Marigold and Nanaro.

"If you two could be so kind and step aside," Marigold started, her polite speech poisoned by her deathly tones, "We have some friends to find." That didn't seem to deter the Zweisun. They were already mad that not just two, but four trespassers were on their lands in the same day.

New Objective!+Defeat the Zweisun!

Achievement Opportunity!+Delicious, Delicious Fire - Kill them with fire. Grilled Zweisun is supposedly good for your liver, or so I've heard.

Nanaro was forced to let go of Marigold's hand as the woman stepped forward to tell the Zweisun to move aside, yet they seemed firm in their endeavor to do no such thing. A weary grimace formed on Nanaro's young face as she reached for her bell, holding it out and letting it ring just a single note. "They don't want to do themselves a favor, Marigold," she said softly. "Do they not realize that this bell tolls for our determination? For our victory? We have a goal in our hearts. We cannot and will not be swayed." Here, she let her arm drop down as she began concentrating her mana. There was not much more to say. She made her intent clear. She'd mow down every Zweisun or anything else that crossed her path until she found Vance and Fu, and she knew that inside that gentle, motherly heart of hers, Marigold felt the same way.

Marigold could feel that she wasn't as nimble as usual. It was the humidity in this area, it was affecting her abilities, if only a little bit. Still, she wouldn't let that stop her. The magic boost from being in colder areas wouldn't be working either, so she would have to put up with raw magics instead. She only took two steps forward before shooting two of her fingers up, summoning mana in the ground. An icicle from below the closest Zweisun sprung up and punctured him, surely doing damage.

"Be careful, Nanaro, and stay behind me," Marigold said, her hand instinctively moving to her side, as if to block her from moving forward or the Zweisun from getting to her. Her mother instincts were taking over, even though Nanaro wasn't her child.

With a simple nod, Nanaro followed Marigold making sure to stay near her and a little behind her. When the enemies drew near enough, she would unleash the full extent of her magic which at this point wasn't very much, but that certainly wasn't going to deter her from trying. Two against two were pretty even odds, especially since Marigold was very skilled--an understatement--at her usage of the ice element. However, deep in her young mind, Nanaro knew that she knew not of the capabilities of the Zweisun. There was always the chance that they were clutch performers, pulling a victory out of what seems like a hopeless situation. Or perhaps they held some surprises of their own, just ready to unleash? She hoped nothing would be too detrimental to their cause. As long as she and Marigold worked together, she knew they would triumph.

Marigold was quick to cover her mouth and nose when she saw the Zweisun breathing deeply and opening its own mouth, signaling Marigold that something foul was coming. It could have been anything, but Marigold was glad she covered her mouth as a pale steam vapor leaked out towards her, making her eyes sting and water. Who knew what could have happened if she breathed in the vapor.

Using her aura, Marigold froze the vapor and rendered it useless, the mist creeping to the ground as the heat pushed it down. So the Zweisun was intent on debilitating her? It would have to try harder than that, and two could play that game. Marigold stepped forward boldly, reaching out with an icy hand to grasp the fishman's wrist. Almost immediately the water in the creature began to freeze over, evidence of that shown by the now dry scales, turned to ice.

The Zweisun had begun to converge on the duo, going as far as to attack Marigold, but she was quick to react to the attack and retaliate with her own. She was going to unleash a blaze upon the one she attacked when the girl realized that Marigold was trying to encase the Zweisun in ice. Her listless eyes drifted to the other one that was incoming and raised her bell into the air above her head. "This bell...its tone shall burn you to the core," she stated simply and brought the bell down. A single note resounded through the area, and a small mass of flames spewed out of the bottom of the bell during its descent, heading straight through the air towards the Zweisun. There was no doubt it would not be happy about that, and she knew Marigold wanted her to be careful, so she took a few steps back to gain distance.

Marigold smiled as the fishman she touched turned to ice, but upon feeling a splash of water hit her with quite a bit of force, it was all she could do not to let out a sigh of relief. The humidity in the air was starting to get to her, her frozen aura not doing its job. But with the water, she felt much more refreshed instead, and the water that was on her skin froze almost immediately.

Marigold turned and smiled at the Zweisun behind her, alarming it just a little, but before it could take a step back, Marigold's hand shot out and grabbed its wrist, beginning to freeze it down to the bone. The same, cynical smile remained on Marigold's lips as she glared the Zweisun down.

Now both were soon to fall into a frozen state, and to undo that was not very befitting nor good for their situation. This was time to take advantage of what things had happened--the tables turning in their favor. She rang her bell simply, no need to concentrate mana, and let the sound form a sharp wave that spread outwards. It merely curved around Marigold, but the two Zweisun would not be let off so easily. On it's own, it was not much, but in their frozen states, the effects would definitely be more noticeable. Perhaps when they were on the verge of thawing on their own would she sling a fireball their way.

Nanaro waits.

Last edited by Masquerade on Thu May 10, 2012 12:07 pm; edited 1 time in total

With a smile, Marigold looked back at Nanaro, seeing that she was safe where she was. The ringing of her bell seemed to be scraping against the eardrums of the two frozen Zweisun. It was a very effective attack for Nanaro to use, and now Marigold wanted to add some of her power to attack as well. She brushed off her arm, bringing forward several icicles that shot into the ground in front of her, the frozen water coming off of the humidity that Marigold's aura produced. Using her control over ice, Marigold pointed the icicles up and shot a few of them into the Zweisun in front of her.

There. She could see the ice beginning to thaw. In mere moments, the Zweisun would be free of its frozen prison. Nanaro raised her bell and pulled it back. "If you are to be free, then may your escape be a toasty one," she stated flatly, her face completely emotionless. Bringing the bell down, the tone rang out through the area, and the mass of flames spewed out of the bottom as it descended, the scorching mass curving around the apple tree to strike the thawing Zweisun full force. In time, they will know it was a foolish attempt. We need to find them... Nanaro thought urgently in her mind. She had to keep herself strong so Marigold wouldn't have to worry about her so much, so she remained resolute, standing tall and confident. She wasn't sure if her spell was enough, but they would find out soon.

There was something about seeing these creatures go up in flames that Marigold liked. As if it was meant to be that way. After all, humans only ate fish when it is cooked, normally. So it seemed appropriate that a human, Nanaro, was toasting these fish-men. They didn't seem to resist the element of fire either, which was strange for aquatic creatures. Maybe the environment had something to do with it?

Nevertheless, Marigold turned the rest of her icicles on the other fish, doing the same thing by piercing the fish-man's body, through the thick layer of ice that Marigold already put on the thing.

"I'm fine, Marigold. I will be fine until we find Fu and Vance," Nanaro replied with a reassuring nod. She had spent enough time resting back where they had landed. Now was the time for action, and with such a motivation behind her, she would not falter. "This bell tolls for our triumph." As if to emphasize, Nanaro raised her bell and brought it down, a small sphere of fire shooting from the bottom out towards the remaining Zweisun ice statue. It looked like it was starting to thaw anyway, so she felt no regret. "If they were more civilized, we could ask them about the guys. I doubt they'd want to answer our questions after this though." Nanaro frowned. They had just set out on their search, so there was no point in getting disheartened so early. Her resolve was strong, and she had Marigold with her. Everything would turn out all right.

Experience Table:+2 all - Objective Completed in less than X Player Phases+2 Nanaro only - Achievement Get!Nanaro is responsible for the deaths of the two Zweisun. +4 Exp.Marigold is responsible for damaging and dealing status effects to the two Zweisun. +6 Exp.

UPDATE: Right now, Marigold should have 4 SE Points, Fu should have 2 SE Points, Vance should have 2 SE Points, and Nanaro should have 4 SE Points. SE Points can be used to upgrade abilities, I forgot to add them when we renewed the role play, so I'm adding them now. There is a table in the spoiler below that shows how you can use SE to improve abilities.

Spoiler:

With Skill Enhancer Points, a character can improve an ability by increasing the damage output percentage, adding some effects to the skill, increasing range, adding an elemental affinity to the skill, or decreasing the amount of mana required by that skill.

~1 SE Points per level. No more Job Promotions.~SE Points Required by Tier 4 Professions in Order to Increase Certain A-Abilities: 10

Also, I want you to add a few things to your profiles. Put them somewhere near your Stat portion, so I can calculate levels a little easier in the future. These will change with job promotion though, so I'll be sure to let you know what the new levels are when they come around.

VanceHP +5 Per LevelMP +4 Per Level

NanaroHP +3 Per LevelMP +8 Per Level

~Another update will come shortly. In the meantime, update your profiles please. Don't forget that Morale carries over with each battle!~